The portal was designed by architects Zanzinger, Borie & Medary in 1923 and was created by the Philadelphia studios of Samuel Yellin and Nicola d'Ascenzo. The polychromed figures set into the stained glass tympanum depict Christ in Majesty.

The Freedom Tower (1925), modeled on a Spanish bell tower, was originally named the Daily News Tower and was home to a leading local newspaper. It earned its name by housing the Cuban Refugee Center in the 1960s.

Rockwell Hall, the first library of Kent State University, was built in 1927 in the Beaux-Arts style. The building was renovated to house the Shannon Rodgers & Jerry Silverman collection of fashion and decorative arts, and opened as a museum in 1985.